Write A Believable Inuyasha OC
by Abori Chan
Summary: Do you want to learn how to create a Believable Inuyasha OC? Then, you have come to the right spot. In this guide I shall attempt to teach you how to breathe life into OC characters and blend them into the IY universe.


Hey guys!

Today I am going to share a few of my tips with you on how to write a believable Inuyasha OC. I have noted that there is no handy guide on how to write and integrate characters into this fandom, which is why Mary Sue's have taken over, and send the readers scurrying to find 'canon' fics.

I am not against canon pairings, just of the opinion that OC's allow you to build a whole new character and it is far more challenging to write and blend an OC into the established fandom than to keep canon characters in line when they interact with their own kind.

Anyway, that is my personal preference so let us not get into that.

Inuyasha as a fandom has a lot of scope, since it is very vast and has endless possibilities. You can make up your own species of demons, half demons, heroes, villains, side characters. This guide will be two part i.e I shall detail on how to make an **OC for the Canon Universe** as well as on how to make an **OC for the Alternate Universe**.

So let's get started!

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**OC in the Canon Universe**

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The commonest OC, she will be a person either from the future or from the Feudal Era.

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**Future OC: **

The future OC has become a sort of a cliché since most of the OC's fall down the well and end up in the Feudal Era with super awesome magical powers which will make the readers cringe and faint. These future OC's are usually a mirror image of Kagome Higurashi, with most of her characteristics and temperament, which makes the OC a shadow puppet. More often than not, they will make the OC somehow 'superior' to Kagome _**[if their target is Inuyasha]**_, Sango _**[if their target is Miroku]**_, Kagura _**[if their target is Sesshoumaru]**_, Ayame _**[if their target is Kouga]**_. This is not just disrespecting the characters themselves but also their author. Okay, P-chan is Miroku's one true love but that does not mean that she has to be more badass than Sango _**[seeing as she is not even trained enough to do so]**_, she just has to be more understanding toward his lecherous ways.

Always try to be realistic while playing the 'Future OC' game because you cannot make your OC to face situations that she has never handled before, in a calm and practical way. Facing 10-foot demons in a strange era with weird people is no joke. I would run screaming and plunge back into my era and never set foot there again. Forget about demons, what are you going to do if you are mugged in a dark alley?

Like I said be realistic.

**Here are some things to keep in mind while creating a future OC: **

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**Ethnicity**

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It is best to make her a native. That means she should have black hair and brown eyes or brown hair and brown eyes unless she dyed her hair and wore contacts. Even this is near to impossible because Japanese schools do not allow dyed hair and contacts. Therefore, unless your character was cosplaying she cannot really show up in such attire. It is perfectly fine if a character is half-Japanese, but this too depends on which parent is Japanese. There is something as dominant and recessive genes. More often than not, the child will take after their fathers looks.

In my family alone, from five of us cousins only one has taken her mother's looks. The rest of us look like our fathers. So if you want your character to have auburn hair and green eyes make her father a foreigner. Or better still you can make her a transfer student.

While describing your character from another/main interest's point of view absolutely do not:

"_Character watched as P-chan ran her hand through her long, knee-length, silky, raven hair. She rested her emerald eyes on him and sent him a subtle yet dazzling smile, the one that lighted up her beautiful features. She gracefully turned and walked up toward him, angling her curvaceous body and called, 'Hi, Character-kun' _

_Character stirred in his seat haunted by her clear, angelic voice that sounded like little bells tinkling in the wind. He looked down at her his expression softening rapidly." _

Instead:

"**Character stared hard at the girl who was frolicking about feeding the rabbits. How had she ended up here? He watched her carefully, hoping to pick up any irregular auras around her that may give away her identity. She suddenly jerked her head upward catching him staring at her. He groaned inwardly as he noticed a dark shadow pass over her green eyes. She pushed her waist length auburn hair over her shoulder to bring it over her chest and walked stiffly toward him. **

"**Hi." He heard P-chan murmur timidly. **

**Character stirred in his seat, looking down at her, trying to soften his expression. **

**Was the girl that scared of him? **

So which one of the two seems more believable? Obviously, the second one. The second paragraph tells us quite a few things about the character without seeming pretentious or conceited. Anyone can concur that P-chan likes rabbits and is a bit afraid of Character and this is seemingly natural as P-chan has fallen into a universe that is way too different from her own time. She will regard everyone, especially the oddballs, with caution. These characters, too in their turn will be wary of her.

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**School Life**

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Before you start writing about a character in school, make sure to do a lot of research on Japanese school life, uniforms, activities etc.

While developing your characters school life if you say "She goes to Kagome's school" I shall bang your head on the keyboard. Unless you are Yuka, Ayumi or Eri, you should not actually know who Kagome is. Even classmates tend to forget a person if she does not show up for long. The whole school isn't going to be aware that a girl named Kagome is missing. Real life does not work that way.

Yes, your character can go to Kagome's school but she should not be automatically aware that Kagome is a part of that school. For that let her be a friend of the trio above and maybe she wonders and actually strongly disbelieves in Kagome's excuses of absence. Maybe she is a little brighter than the trio and decides to investigate…now that would be a realistic plot!

Alternatively, you can have a character descend through a portal that you made up. The Feudal Era in Inuyasha is based on history. All you need to do is to research a bit in that line and come up with a fantastic plot.

If you want to make a tough/agile character remember to depict the person taking part in extracurricular activities. In Japanese schools, kendo, judo, volleyball, baseball, softball, archery are usually the classes that take place after school and you can have your character excel in them, however beware that if P-chan goes to Feudal Era she would only be able to escape from a band of bandits at the very best due to her skills.

The past and the future are two very different situations.

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**Emotions**

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Make her reactions believable. What would you do if you fell into a universe with constant wars and demons out to bay for your blood? You would be scared for a while, shocked and in disbelief. Maybe you would also cry and scream or become hysterical. Some of you may pinch yourself to know whether you are dreaming. Some might just pass out from sheer fright. She may either suffer from a panic attack or become ultra frustrated and she will distrust any 'abnormal' looking people.

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**Clothing**

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Give her practical clothing. The feudal era is not a picnic spot that your character can bounce around in sundresses or shorts. A t-shirt and a pair of jeans with good hunting boots would be ideal since you will have to take the forests and the climate into account. The school uniform is fine if the character was transported the first time but not all the time. And please, skimpy, revealing dresses are fine for Yura since she died in the third episode but your character will only be a trouble magnet if she goes around showing too much skin.

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**Canon Replacement**

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For god's sake, DO NOT CHANGE/REPLACE THE CANON CHARACTERS. If the capslock did not drill it in your mind I repeat, do not replace/change the canon characters. That is what AU's are for. If you dislike the female counterpart of your character, do not kill her off in the canon because the canon will cease being canon without an important character.

It is okay to have love triangles/squares but the female counterparts have to be there. Without Kagome, the Shikon no Tama wouldn't have broken and Inuyasha may still be stuck to that tree. Without Sango, Miroku wouldn't be the way he is today. And to be frank, I DO NOT want to hear the SAME old Inuyasha story from an OC's point of view who may just be a shadow of the female leads. It makes my eyes bleed.

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**Weapons**

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Weapons are something every writer has struggled with. Most of them end up giving their character a katana or a bow and arrow because their characters are either half-demons or priestesses! This is too cliché and is almost as old as the invention of the wheel. Please try to be creative and imaginative. You are creating a character, not a shadow puppet and if you want to do that, you would be better off joining the Naraku clique.

Can you actually picture how much strength it will take to wield a katana?

The weight range of Katana was anything between 900 grams-1400 grams. Historical katanas were heavier so you can take a rough guess of about 1200 grams. Can you imagine carrying that thing around, drawing it swiftly and hitting your opponent before he kills you? A person from the future cannot do that in a matter of weeks. Mastering sword fighting takes years.

So think twice, would you really want your character wield a katana without going completely Mary Sue? I doubt it. So ditch the katana, go and find some other weapons. To name a few, tessen, naginata, hachiwara, yoroidoshi are light enough to be wielded effortlessly and it is not going to take ages to master them.

If those names/weapons are too tough for you to wrest with and you need straight action, try the good old firecracker bombs/dynamite, brought from the future. It may not be much of an attack but your character may at least not have to stick around and learn things. If everything else fails, matchlocks, hand canons that were very popular in the Sengoku Era are your next best friends.

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**Super Powers**

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Powers, ah, that is one tricky bit. Powers are the very thing that brought P-chan into the Inuyasha world. However, P-chan doesn't always have to be a priestess or a half-demon. She can be a reincarnation of a healer or even a samurai!

Elemental powers like ability to control and project wind, water, fire, earth, light, darkness is also cool but you will have to establish a strong reason for your character to have these powers. Is she connected to the clan that has these powers? Is she connected to the "Gods" that had these powers? There are endless possibilities for a character to still stay human while gain special powers. However, beware; giving her too many powers is the first sign of a Mary Sue! Let her have just one specific power with its flaws and strengths.

For example, if P-chan is able to erect very strong barriers around herself and others, which do not allow Naraku's miasma to enter let this ability be consistent. Her defensive powers should not automatically become offensive, as per the need. Her flaw can be that since a lot of spiritual energy has been used to erect these barriers, she might faint and need a long time/spiritual training to replenish herself. Make sure that your characters flaws and strengths are fixed, if you suddenly add a new flaw/strength, readers will be confused.

And it will be best if you keep your character human with special powers when she is from the future. Hanyous and Youkai's are for OC's living in the Sengoku Jidai.

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**Training **

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I have noticed a lot fanfics have OC's who choose to train with Inuyasha. This for me is frightening even though Inuyasha is my most favourite character. Now, would you authors want P-chan to train with a brash and cocky instructor who swings around a sword twice his height and keeps belittling her abilities? I wouldn't. In fact, I would not let my OC train with Inuyasha even when she has super-special-awesome powers.

Why?

Because he does not have the skill.

All he has is brute strength and ability to connect with the Tessaiga. Sure, slashing demon meat is nifty enough when you have a big sword but for a human to survive here she would have to learn from a much advanced instructor who has studied and practiced the art for years! Inuyasha is as helpless as a child when he turns human because he does not know how to defend himself properly. He has never learned the true skill. He only fights by his instincts.

Sango, who is a professional demon slayer, would be the right pick for a trainer, or Miroku, if your OC is a male but not Inuyasha.

Anyway, on with the guide, P-chan will need to train for an awfully long time if she is to become battle ready. One wrong slash of the sword and she will end up badly cut and may possibly bleed to death if an artery has been slit. Apart from the physical exercise, she will also have to be mentally strong. Taking a life isn't a very happy prospect. She will have to prepare herself for becoming highly alert, develop her intuition enough to sense auras and prepare to witness the carnage of war. People dying, bloody battlefields, unsightly dead bodies, she should be able to digest all that.

I do not mean that devote pages and pages to her training. But do make a mention of it at least once in every chapter. Also show the development in their fighting skills. Have the instructor remark once in a while about how character is getting better. Or have P-chan notice the change in herself.

And I wonder what is up with the no scar, ideology. If you are fighting all the time, you will have scars, calluses which aren't going to look pretty. If P-chan wields a sword, her palms will harden overtime due to the battles and training. Her body structure will become muscular.

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**Family**

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Ah, yes a huge factor in OC making. Families are practically nonexistent in Inuyasha universe but that does not mean you have to follow the leader. Give P-chan a complete family. Both parents alive and well with a sibling or two thrown in. Moreover, give her a reliable family, someone that she can fall back upon. Negligent parents, parents who don't care that their daughter disappeared for 5 days and reappeared mysteriously feeling lost and scared **_[that should be your OC's natural reaction, she has been through a dangerous, fantasy world she isn't going to come home all cheery]_** will not do. Real parents are hardly that way, no matter how strict they may be.

I remember at the start of my highschool year when I was once stuck in a heavy rain with a railway strike to add to the problem, the buses were over flowing with people hanging onto each other and I had to risk taking a cab with two of my classmates whom I barely knew. My parents called me up at least thrice until I reached home safely.

Imagine the concern of a parent whose son/daughter goes missing.

Often, fanfiction writers only go on and on about the dangers that OC faces in the Feudal Era. Is it so hard to add a paragraph or two highlighting the parent's concerns? For the first time that their kid goes missing they will be breaking down and making frantic calls to the OC's friends, school and eventually the police. Later on, they may or may not permit their son/daughter to go on the adventure, depending upon the parent's trust on their ward but they will still worry when the OC is not at home.

If P-chan has a family, do not make it a cardboard family.

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**Relationships**

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Everyone wants their beloved P-chan to get going with Inu-kun/Fluffy-sama/Houshi-sama/Kouga-kun…

Except that, it is not so easy. Feudal Era people are not so friendly, they will approach your character with caution and because of the turbulent times, they will always be on high alert. Kagome will the most trusting and welcome P-chan with open arms since she is from her era and will explain everything but the others may not be so trusting, especially Inuyasha and Sango. Miroku may try to flirt with your OC and he may even be friendly but no character worth his salt will fall head over heels into love with a person they barely know anything about.

If you want to develop a relationship, take it slow. A day and night will not make a character express his past. It will come in bits and pieces and for that, you need patience. Patience to write as well as to experience that moment. The silent characters like Sesshoumaru may not talk at all and so how will P-chan know anything about him? Think a little, maybe she can bribe Rin to do talking…

It is not always protecting each other in battle that builds a relationship. If anything, a canon character may just do it so that he doesn't get an innocent killed. Tagging behind a character like a parasite will easily cross P-chan off your bishie's books. Instead, let P-chan do little things for him, things that show kindness, he may not notice it right away but eventually he will. Like, P-chan never brings anything much from the future, but she always brings a secret stash of Ramen for Inuyasha. Or a pack of cards for Miroku.

Maybe she lends a sympathetic ear to their complaints or consoles them when they say that [counterpart] does not understand them.

Whatever the case, relationships need time. It may take at least 16 chapters until P-chan and Bishie have built a good rapport and writing believable romances takes a strong dedication. However, don't forget the rivals on either side. Rivals are very good at catching the vibes that P-chan is sending her boy and P-chan will realize that [rival] looks more and more sullen, cold and unfriendly than she was before. This is where you add conflict onto the plot and mishmash it with emotions.

Ultimately, P-chan will have to choose whether to distance herself or cling to the Bishie.

Or sometimes the Bishie himself makes the decision of leaving P-chan and going to [rival] because he feels guilty. This is a better option than the above one, since a love martyr is the first sign of a Mary Sue.

In any case, keep the relationship as realistic as possible. We do not need a person telling us all the time that they love us or they would die for us. We only need the person to prove it; otherwise it will end up sounding insincere.

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**Ending**

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Yes, all stories have an ending, so yours must have it too. Now everything depends on whether the OC stays in the past or the future. Remember that either of your character's choices will impact both the timelines greatly.

If she chooses to go in the future, she shouldn't be surprised if her weapon ends up in a display case of a museum with her own _history being sung_. Moreover, she will have to re-adjust to her normal life, with its now mundane prospects and she may have to let go of her love interest and her powers.

If she chooses to stay in the past, she may well be with her love interest and retain her powers but she may have to get used to more wars and hardships of the Sengoku era with tussles between the power-crazy daimyo, deaths and defeat.

Your choice.

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Anyway, I hope this clears up any doubts about how to make an OC from the future. In the next part **I'll detail on how to make OC's living in the Sengoku Era**. If anyone has any questions or queries or any OC building parts that you want me to cover **please do review!** :D


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